Merkt and ArcelorMittal Tubular Products Altensteig have been working together for several decades. The family business receives an average of 1,200 to 1,500 tons of pipes annually from Altensteig for the production of components for high-quality office furniture.
An important customer group for ArcelorMittal Tubular Products Altensteig are manufacturers of office furniture components. The company has a particularly long partnership with Konrad Merkt GmbH. They have been working with the medium-sized family business for over 70 years and now deliver an average of between 1,200 and 1,500 tons of pipes in 130 different dimensions per year to Spaichingen, Baden-Württemberg. These are further processed in the 15,000 square meter factory into platform parts, for example for height-adjustable desks.
Pipe requirements
The requirements include a surface without scratches or other damage such as scoring or rust. There are two main reasons for this: On the one hand, they are visible parts, and on the other hand, the surfaces must not have any defects so that they can be painted without defects after welding in the new, modern powder coating system. Depending on the order, the finished parts are assembled or welded in Merkt’s factory and then delivered to customers, for example from wood production, who mount the table top on the support system.
Sustainability
The topic of sustainability is the focus of ArcelorMittal, which is firmly anchored in all areas of the company. There are only 90 kilometers between Spaichingen and Altensteig, which not only saves transport costs but also CO2 emissions. In addition to the short distance between the two companies, the flexible warehousing also speaks in favor of ArcelorMittal Tubular Products. Stocking pipes in the required 130 dimensions would exceed Merkt’s capacity. For this reason, the family business takes advantage of the opportunity to store the necessary goods in Altensteig and have them delivered by truck as needed.
“This flexibility is a crucial competitive advantage for us as a medium-sized company, which speaks in favor of ArcelorMittal,” emphasizes managing director Konrad Merkt.